This was a strange one- we follow a young man (16) who runs away to Tokyo to 'find his sound' after his grandfather passes away. He plays a traditional instrument, the shamizen, and this reminded me of classic 90's manga in not only the art style, but the drama! Setsu (the MC) meets a colourful cast of characters, including a woman, Yuna, who aspires to be an actress, and her crappy boyfriend.

Personally I wasn't big into the story progression, it went quite fast and was a bit choppy in terms of Setsu's emotions and battle with grief. I very much liked the deeper insights the character's had, some were very introspective and mature, which surprised me considering the MC's age. Outside of that I didn't connect with the story, but others definitely might, especially if you typically enjoy manga surrounding music.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC!

This manga is more classic in appearance (by which I mean it looks like a work created somewhere in the late 90's and early modern century). It is somewhat similar to titles like Nana and even Given (only if Given was written in that period). The story has some tiny similarities with things that Haruki Murakami would write ... which further proves that we are dealing with something quite classic in general.

The main character is a confused young man who after the death of his grandfather (a very good performer of shamisen) is very upset and has lost his place in life. His decision is to go to Tokyo because he no longer "hears the necessary melodies" in Aomori. In Tokyo, as can be expected, a lot of strange things happen to him - he comes across a girl who wants to succeed in life (but instead works as a hostess) and her boyfriend, who has a music band. Setsu, whether he wants to or not, gets involved in their lives and problems as he tries to rediscover his passion.
From now on, we have a small problem, as time in history begins to flow in a strange way, in my opinion. Weeks pass in a page or two and the characters' attitudes, as well as their inner feelings, change quite quickly. Which is a pity, because it does not give us much opportunity to get to know them and be nice to us. For me, this is the big minus of the work as a whole.
Honestly, I liked Wakana, Setsu's "guardian", the most sympathetic to me. I like that they give it so much "screen time", it looks most alive and well built. (Anime fan note: If an anime is made one day, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will be Koyama Rikiya, I just hear it!).

The idea is nice, despite the success of Given, I think the title will be received quite well. And the inclusion of a traditional instrument such as a shamisen in combination with modern music is a challenging element. Perhaps it is a plus for older readers that the art is reminiscent of the good old titles - nostalgia for the past and so on ... influence.

The original of this text is in Bulgarian. Sorry for the translation errors. I am adding a link.

Surprisingly, it was really good. The art style is good. The plot is interesting. The main character is likeable. Can't wait for next volume.

Setsu lives in the country. He is raised by his grandfather who is also his master of playing the shamisen, a musical instrument. When his grandfather passes away Setsu looses all will to play and he runs away from home. He ends in Tokyo, a place far too strange for him. On his first day there Setsu almost gets robbed, but he is saved by the girl named Yuna.
The synopsis is sort of vague, so I didn't really know what to expect. But I loved this, it was such a surprise. First of all, this is not a kid story, it is very much adult in its themes and content. Secondly, it was deeper than I expected. Both Setsu and Yuna deal with depression and inferiority complex. Yuna wants to be an actress but she is constantly rejected. The only reason why she took in Setsu was because she thought he was more miserable than she is. Both of these characters have this emptiness inside of them, both of them don't feel good enough to do what they love most. And Setsu also constantly compared himself to his grandfather. What I liked most about this was the fact that they would have to deal with their issues separately, to then meet again later on as new people. I am desperate to continue reading this.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.